Stressed out?

Exam dates are either here, or hurtling towards many of us. There are essays that needed to be done yesterday, for others. For those of us not in college we’re not even getting the chance to experience beautiful exam weather.

Right now many of us are stressed to the max.

Ticking off the list

Having stuff to do is great. It stops us getting bored and getting into trouble for building forts in our living room. Keeping motivated and crossing big red lines through items on our to-do list feels good.

A little bit of stress can be a good thing, it can help us get some of this stuff done.

Super-hero?

There’s a fine line though. Having too much stuff on can often lead to feeling stressed, or anxious and can send us into a downward spiral of counter-productive procrastination.

If you’re doing exams you could be doing more work in the next few weeks than you’ve done for the last year and need to keep on top of it.

So how do we deal with these overwhelming to-do lists, expectations and deadlines without the gift of super-powers?

Don’t panic!

You are not alone! It’s normal to start to feel overwhelmed when we have too much stuff to do but the trick is to not panic.

Recognising when you’re feeling stressed is key. Stress can affect different people in different ways. It can cause trouble, sleeping or eating, or it can make you shut-down, putting off what you need to do and that’s the last thing you need. Read stress to recognise the signs.

Stress busting

Once we recognise we’re stressed then we can do something about it. Learn what works for you to manage it, not everyone’s cut-out to be a Zen-like yoga guru. Go for a run, play some Xbox or learn some relaxation techniques.

But first have a go at priortitising your work and getting stuck into that workload. It is possible to bust that stress and avoid that anxiety procrastination spiral. Read Hints for effective studying and managing exam stress for more tips.